Category Archives: Science

It can start with a spark, a moment of curiosity. It can start while discovering innovative ideas come to life. It can start with a question raised, a clip from a show, a game, and, in this case, a poster. The discussion of how to get more women interested in STEM fields, commonly known as Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, continues as does the struggles to figure out the “how”. As a mission to encourage more girls and young women to follow their curiosity in the rewarding fields of STEM, it is imperative to bring to surface lived experiences of other young women and expose their reality of the journey involved in any of these fields. As Canadians it makes it for a sweeter reality to know that an aspiring young woman scientist has represented Canada internationally at Science Fairs bringing home awards for her scientific discoveries.

Jessie MacAlpinehas done all of that, all because of her love for science. She is a great example, a great mentor to girls and young women who may have that curious thought of what is it like to be a scientist. She is a leader and an inspiration to little girls who dream that one day they can too become successful while making a difference though science.

I hope that her story will encourage girls and young women to pursue their dreams and take on challenges because making a difference is just as rewarding as the journey to leadership. Continue reading →

Like this:

Men•tor
/ˈmenˌtôr,-tər/
noun
1. An experienced and trusted adviser.
Direct access to mentors, role models, and sponsors could play a fundamental shift in encouraging young women to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.

Increasing the number of women in STEM fields and in leadership positions is an on-going challenge. Mentoring provides a medium for revolutionizing how we think of women in technology; showcasing the incredible achievements of women in STEM and providing a direct opportunity for women involved with technology to interact with the next generation of females. Through mentorship, we can inspire young women to enter what have traditionally been male-dominated fields, and to want to contribute to positively changing the world. Continue reading →

Mary Sherman Morgan was a true trailblazer when it comes to women in engineering and science. As a gifted Chemist, she engineered the history of the Space Race by inventing the fuel Hydyne. This fuel was used to launch America’s first satellite into orbit!

Her story was told in the book ‘Rocket Girl’ – You can check out the review posted on Women You Should Know at this link!

“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret to success.” by Norman Vincent Peale

A while back I had an idea.

A light bulb went on in my head and wanted to do something about it but I had the “Who am I to do this?” question wasn’t helping me at all. I finally decided to share my idea with a friend to see what he would have to say. He is a very successful business man who had been involved in the business world for many years; I knew that I could trust him to get the most honest feedback that I could possibly ask for. At that time I felt that I needed someone’s approval to move forward with my ideas. I got the approval I needed. It was now the time to go forward with creating a plan and brainstorm around the next steps.

Yes, it took me a year, a few focus groups, a few meetings with some of the people that I admire … it was time to take ACTION and just do it.

Throughout the year, I still felt that I needed approval from the outside world and found myself asking for permission to move forward because I was not sure of myself.

Let me explain what this is all about …

As a woman, born and raised in a society that expected me to be who I am not, it thought me that being born a woman it is by default that I have to refrain myself from indulging in my full potential and that, in order to move forward in this world, I have to ask for permission. I did stand up to it all and did what I had to do, but that didn’t always come easy, to say the least.

As a child I dreamed of becoming a teacher or a lawyer. I wanted to change the next generation’s lives by exposing them to the confidence that I was not exposed to. Continue reading →

It is imperative to realize that, when it comes to technology and social media, it is harder for Canadians to find the resources available to them compared to our neighbours from across the border. Not to mention that the opportunities for young women in this sector are much more limited.

There are many key findings which suggest that this is true and through research one can see that support is much limited to Canadians in this sector. If we go in deeper and analyze the marginalized communities of a big Canadian city such as Toronto, for example, one can clearly see that opportunities become minimal particularly to young girls.

Many agencies that serve such demographic do not focus on making available education in career advancement which is cutting edge and up to date to what an employer is looking for. Before we even get to the discussion of job opportunities we must acknowledge the fact that when it comes to any of the male dominated subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ( STEM), we are dealing with a systemic fact that young girls are not introduced to such studies early enough for them to generate an interest in this topic. Continue reading →

Not too long ago I was in a room full of women where they were discussing their future. Some were older and felt that they had nothing to live for while some were looking at their future with hope. Are we feeding enough knowledge into the next generation to ensure that their future is bright enough so that they can stand on their own? Maybe or maybe not.

The older generation of women would reminisce at the chances they were not given and the opportunities they have missed all because they were born females. One in particular was born to solve crime in a scientific lab but her father had said to her that her job was to have a family and raise children. Learning how to cook might be a better option for her.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is an important factor to our society. Without science we cannot examine the world around us. Technology serves as an information and communication infrastructure. Engineering is so broad and can apply to so many industries — computer engineer, mechanical engineer, civil engineer, chemical engineer, and the list goes on.

Oh, and engineering is totally based on mathematics. This is all like a chain where all four topics blend in to compliment each other. Why is it that in real life things do not work just the same, where women and men are presented with the same opportunities to enter in this field? Continue reading →